Would someone really go out of their way to avoid a three-dollar toll?
It seems unlikely, particularly if it's a one-off thing, but when you start doing the math for a whole year, and you end up with a $1,500 tab, then I can see where drivers just might start looking for free alternatives.
When the cost to cross a bridge is put in those terms, and you're comparing it to your car insurance bill for the year or a long weekend in Vegas, then it's not unreasonable to think some drivers will embrace a detour and put the savings to some other use.
It obviously depends on where you're headed as it doesn't make much sense, given the price of gas these days, to drive out of your way to avoid a toll, but Delta North MLA Guy Gentner raises a valid point about the potential ripple effect a tolled Port Mann Bridge could have on other crossings of the Fraser River.
The few times I've gone over the Golden Ears Bridge, the only tolled crossing in the Lower Mainland, it's been a virtual ghost town, although I'm not sure if that's because of the toll or due to the fact it's a north-south route in a region where most of the commuter traffic travels east-west.
Assuming the toll has something to do with it, it's a good bet there will also be those that will re-route in order to avoid the Port Mann when it opens later this year. There's no doubt the new bridge will be far busier than the Golden Ears, but there's sure to be a ripple effect, regardless of what provincial modeling suggests.
Ironically, the South Fraser Perimeter Road, which will run along the south side of the Fraser River and is being built for big rigs, could end up being the route of choice for toll evaders.
Drivers westbound on Highway 1 will soon be able to exit at 176th Street and cruise along the SFPR to check out which of the free river crossings is the least congested. It will make skipping from one crossing to the next far more convenient than is the case today.
Drivers aren't going to go too far out of their way, but it's not unreasonable to think a busier Pattullo Bridge could prompt some that usually use that crossing to try the Alex Fraser instead. In turn, some Alex Fraser users might opt for the George Massey Tunnel if they think that might be quicker.
How much of this trickle down effect actually reaches the tube is certainly up for debate, but it's clear that any additional traffic volume will just add to the gridlock that regularly chokes that crossing.
